This year, Cherry Hill East High School is having its senior prom at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In what seems to be a reference to the dance's historic venue, tickets for the prom instructed students to "party like it's 1776." But many students and community members felt the quip was insensitive to students of color, for whom the date reflects a history of oppression and slavery.

The school's principal Dr. Dennis Perry apologized for the situation in a letter to "the community," which he also posted on Twitter.

"I am writing to apologize for the hurt feelings this reference caused for members of our school family. It was insensitive and irresponsible not to appreciate that not all communities can celebrate what life was like in 1776," Perry wrote. "I especially apologize to our African American Students, whom I the let down by not initially recognizing the inappropriateness of this wording."

Also in the letter, Perry said that students will not be required to bring their tickets to prom. He added that a new, commemorative ticket with a different slogan will be handed out at the dance.

"I believe that Perry handled the situation well," said Danny Elmore, a vice president for the Cherry Hill African American Civic Association told the Courier Post.

Elmore also noted that Cherry Hill East also came under fire last year when it staged the musical "Ragtime," which included a racial slur and insensitive language.

"Talk about it with people before you take an action and we won't have this happen," Elmore said of preventing instances like these in the future.